Healing and Deliverance
Miracles and signs. It is beautiful to see God at work, and that is why evangelism, healing, and deliverance services are so utterly fabulous. We serve a mighty God who wants to bless us abundantly and has our best interests at heart. We serve a God of salvation, healing, and deliverance. Not only pastors or important people can heal and deliver; God has given these blessings to all His followers.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (…). (Psalm 103:2-3)
In this chapter, we study redemption from death, the healing of our diseases, and the deliverance from demons. Each topic requires more pages of text to give a full understanding, but this chapter only briefly discusses these topics. We are aware that there is much more to be written on this subject.
Redemption from Death
God has redeemed us from death. But how is that possible? Until now, everyone has died, and everyone will take their last breath at some point. This is because God talks about two different kinds of death. The first death is the death that everyone experiences. At some point, the body is exhausted, and a person passes away. His body stays on earth, and this is buried or cremated. The second death is a spiritual death, an eternal separation from God the Father. The Bible proclaims two kinds of death, as we read in Revelation.
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15)
Everyone experiences the first death, whether you have faith in God or not. However, not everyone experiences the second death; there is one exemption, and that is the people who are written in the Book of Life. These are the followers of Jesus, and by Jesus' righteousness, they are redeemed from the second death.
John writes about future things in the letter of Revelation. You can order the book 'A Revelation of the End Times: Why the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Biblical' from our web shop to learn more about this. John spoke here about death and the realm of death (Hades). Death is destroyed forever at the end of the present heaven and earth and will not happen again. Hades will be cast into the lake of fire (hell), and this will be an eternal destination. Hades is already here today, and this is a waiting room where the dead wait for God's judgment. After God's judgment, everyone present in Hades will be cast into hell. This is the second death. No one escapes it except those written down in the Book of Life. Let us read a few verses about the second death and see how a person's name enters the Book of Life.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
God cautions people in Revelation 21:8. A fantastic future is available in God's presence. Yet the people in the above listing won't have any part in this future; they will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. What an awful future! The key is to reach as many people as possible with the gospel of the Kingdom and tell them that they can be redeemed from the second death. The following Bible text illustrates the same idea.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
When we talk about God's Kingdom in the text above, we shouldn't think about the present Kingdom we live in today. This refers to the future Kingdom, which will be eternal, where God will dwell with people. Again, a list of people who won't participate in this. They won't enjoy eternity with God. Galatians 5:21 and Ephesians 5:5 also list people who won't obtain the Kingdom. Simultaneously, the following verse of Corinthians expresses hope. You can maybe identify with something from the above summary. By the grace of God, it is feasible to stop being a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, etc., and to live a completely new life in Christ. Indeed, Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Paul says some people failed to live righteously but were cleansed and sanctified by God, something we studied in the previous chapters. Therefore, a fornicator can become a saint. This is accomplished through the sacrifice of Jesus and His forgiveness of sins.
To be redeemed from the second death, the key is to live in Christ and apply this in our lives. We should not serve the sins of this world but live as saints. Again, this book doesn't aim to show how to be saved with the minimum conditions. This book wants to illustrate how to achieve the maximum output with God. I don't know who will and won't be saved from the second death; that's up to God. Nevertheless, 1 Corinthians 6 shows us a significant warning that we should not take lightly.
God wants to redeem us from the second death. The implication is that we won't be cast into the lake of fire but will be allowed to walk and live with God in the new heaven and earth. We can only do this if our names are written in the Book of Life. This is a book in which Jesus wrote down the names of His followers. These are His believers who have endured to the end. Being redeemed from death means having eternal life with God. When a believer experiences the first death and leaves his earthly suit, he enters heaven and will live forever. Let us look at a few verses about this glorious life.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me: Write, for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:1-5)
A fantastic future will come where we can live with God forever. It will be better than we can imagine. Everything will be brand new, and pain, sorrow, or trouble will no longer exist. Are you looking forward to this time?
The Lord Jesus often spoke about eternal life and said people only get eternal life if they believe in Him.
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)
Faith implies not only that a person believes that Jesus lived but also obedience. That is why the second part of this verse says that those who disobey (i.e., fail to have faith) won't see eternal life. Believing in the above text means that we obey God's words, accept His testimony, and are faithful to His words. Then, God will give us eternal life.
Walking in Redemption from Death
He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:10-13)
In this paragraph, we already noticed some areas where we may walk to be redeemed from death. Of course, the important thing is to have faith in the Lord Jesus. In addition, the Bible warns us that some people, such as fornicators and thieves, don't gain the Kingdom of God but are cast into the lake of fire. Finally, we study one more aspect: perseverance. It is often said, "Once saved, always saved," but this is not Biblical. The Bible warns that we can still lose our salvation. Therefore, it is essential to persevere in faith and continue to run the race from start to finish.
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight, if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)
The text above reveals the condition for eternal life: a firm and established faith. Of course, we cannot do this alone, but the Lord Jesus helps us, as the following text shows.
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
With the Lord Jesus, may we live sacred and immaculate today, remain in God's presence, and obey Him forever—both today and in the future. In addition, we must do God's will today to stay with Him forever.
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)
Healing Diseases
In God's Kingdom, there is health and healing. The first important thing is to live healthily and treat our bodies well to remain healthy. If diseases occur because of unhealthy use or diseases that we cannot do anything about, God, by His grace, wants to heal us of the diseases. We cover this topic briefly.
How can we know that God wants to heal us? God has given Himself Names to make Himself known to us. The Lord God says to us that He is our Healer.
And he said: If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus 15:26)
God manifests Himself to us as Healer. Exodus is an Old Testament book and not a part of God's new covenant (including the blessings we discuss). If God had already included this in the old covenant, He would definitely include it in His new covenant.
So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. (Exodus 23:25)
If we serve and obey God, He will eliminate all diseases. We have a Healer! Let us read some verses that will let us know that in God's Kingdom, there is health and healing.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (…). (Psalm 103:2-3)
Wherever He entered into villages, cities, or in the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. (Mark 6:56)
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. (Mark 9:23)
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Petrus 2:24)
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15)
Health and healing are blessings of God's Kingdom, and God wants us to walk in them. Healings aren't exclusive to the time of Jesus or the apostles but are also available today. I have seen plenty of healings and experienced them myself. God is the same yesterday, today, and for all eternity! God wants to heal us from our sickness. Whether we have a slight headache on one occasion or a severe health issue, God wants to set us free from disease. In the future Kingdom of God, the millennial Kingdom, no sickness will occur, and death will be rare. Everyone will live out their days, and many will live for a thousand years. Today, the followers of Jesus are already living in the spiritual Kingdom of God, and God gives the promise of health and healing. We see this in the book of James, where James says that faithful prayer will preserve the sick person. James did not say, "Maybe you will get well" or "Fast first to see if it is God's will for you to get well," but James said, "The sick person will get well. For James, there was no doubt that God wanted to do this. Finally, I advise the doctor to determine it after the illness has healed. This increases the value of the testimony, which is not unbelief but is found in the Bible.
Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! So when He saw them, He said to them: Go, show yourselves to the priests. And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. (Luke 17:12-14)
Walking in Healing
The first step to healing is believing that God will and can heal you. With the healings of Jesus, we can read that faith established the healing.
But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once * the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22)
Before the blessing of healing can occur, faith is essential. You can build belief by studying the Word of God and listening to the testimonies of others. To have faith involves more than just hoping things will work out. It means actively engaging with God and saying goodbye to illness. It is trusting that God has made us healthy through the sacrifice of Jesus and that illness, therefore, bears no right to our lives. The disease is an illegal intruder and must disappear, and we may speak against this disease and thank God for the health we have received from Him in our new life.
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain: Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:23-24)
I recommend that you read the above text repeatedly. A great miracle is stated there, and God created us to speak against the mountain (for example, sickness). If we don't doubt in our hearts, it will happen. We read that healing and health are God's will for everyone. Therefore, we may know that we prayerfully desire healing and health. I want to give you many more tips and advice on this subject, but unfortunately, this cannot be done in the format of this book.
Deliverance from Demons
The following blessing we discuss is the deliverance of demons. Demons are spiritual beings that seek a home, a human being, to live in. Because of this, demons may possess a person, or a demon may influence a person's life. For example, demons can gain entrance through the following:
- Repeated sins or grave sins.
- Sexual relations outside of marriage between husband and wife.
- Occultism, such as divination, horoscopes, tarot cards, summoning spirits, yoga, etc.
- Worship of demons or idols.
- Wrong things that ancestors have done.
- Curses.
- Deviations from sound doctrine. (In the Bible, this is also called the doctrine of demons.)
- Addictions.
- Drunkenness.
This can happen when someone isn’t yet a believer and also when someone is a believer. For this reason, it is essential always to be wary of opening the door for demons. If someone suffers from demons or supernatural things, there is good news. In the name of Jesus, demons will depart because Jesus wants to free us from demonic powers. We see this in the lives of Jesus and the disciples. People were delivered from unclean spirits (demons).
For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. (Acts 8:7)
(…) who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. (Luke 6:17-18)
Many people have been freed from evil spirits by sending them away in Jesus' name. Through the authority we have received from Jesus, we can tell demons on behalf of Jesus to leave people. It is a blessing of God's Kingdom that people are delivered from demonism and set free.
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the Kingdom of God has come upon you. (Luke 11:20)
As it were, people are freed from chains and released from prison. Because of demons, people find themselves tied and can live a life of loneliness, fear, illness, drugs, alcohol, pride, addiction, anger, or other unpleasant problems. Demons lock a person in a cage and make him live a life where he needs something to feel suitable for a specific moment. Demons prefer to destroy people and influence other people through them (Mark 5:1-13). It is a spiritual prison. When Jesus came to earth, He had come to free people from this spiritual prison.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
Jesus came to preach liberation—freedom from sins, addictions, the law, and demonism. The King preaches to prisoners that they become free and their spiritual shackles are broken. Sin and the enemy don't have to lead us; we can live freely in the Kingdom of God. We are meant to be free. The demons are not allowed to influence a son or daughter of God.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)
Living in Liberation from Demons
God wants His children to be free from demons. God wants to give this blessing to everyone, like all other blessings. If you suffer from demonism, sin, or addiction, the important thing is to express this to God and ask Him to set you free. You can pray for deliverance, but it can also help you confide in people and share the problem. In many churches, you have good brothers and sisters with experience in deliverance, and it helps to speak with them to expose the issues and ask them for prayer.
Finally, I would like to give a few tips for breaking free from demonism. The first tip is to avoid opening doors to demons. God has given all Christians who are born again all powers over demons, but at the same time, it is better not to allow the devil and demons to enter in the first place.
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (Matthew 10:1)The second tip is to speak against demonic influences. The Bible says demons left people because Jesus spoke (one word). Speak in faith and authority, and demons will depart.
The third tip is to remove the influences through which demons have entered. You can think of Buddha statues, horoscopes, or stones. Should demons have entered through repeated sins, bad sins, or sexual relationships, it is necessary to terminate these sins and relationships and make the decision to live sacred before God. Concerning ancestral events or curses, it is important to break these curses and pronounce God's blessing over your life.
The fourth tip is to forgive people who have hurt us. We had read that God can only forgive us if we also forgive others. If we continue to walk in unforgiveness, it can significantly obstruct the process of deliverance.
The fifth tip is to find people with experience and ask them to guide you in delivering you from demons. God has given us—each other to encourage, comfort, and help one another. Go to the pastoral team and be honest about the problems.
Summary
In God's Kingdom, we are redeemed from spiritual death. We no longer have to live a life in isolation from God in a terrifying place. We are allowed to live a life in the presence of God. In addition, we can live in health during our time on earth. God wants to heal everyone and wants to touch people who are sick, causing them to receive health. The most important thing to be healed is having faith in healing. Finally, God wants to set us free so we are not under the influence of the devil and demons. Through open doors, demons can enter, and in the name of Jesus, we may send them away. It is vital to be conscious of open doors to demons and close them immediately.